The disguised Scheik obeyed, delivered his message, and the cripple hastened to the stable, as quickly as his distorted limbs allowed. He possessed quick eyes and a good memory, so that he was able, without the slightest hesitation, to place his hand on the right animal. "'Tis well," said the Cadi; "return to the tribunal." His worship resumed his place, and when the cripple arrived, judgment was pronounced. "The horse is thine," said the Cadi to Bou-Akas. "Go to the stable, and take him." Then to the _chinaux_, "Give this cripple fifty blows." It was done; and Bou-Akas went to take his horse. When the Cadi, after concluding the business of the day, was retiring to his house, he found Bou-Akas waiting for him. "Art thou discontented with my award?" asked the judge. "No, quite the contrary," replied the Scheik. "But I want to ask by what inspiration thou hast rendered justice; for I doubt not that the other two cases were decided as equitably as mine. I am not a merchant; I am Bou-Akas, Scheik of Ferdj' Onah, and I wanted to judge for myself of thy reputed wisdom." The Cadi bowed to the ground, and kissed his master's hand. "I am anxious," said Bou-Akas, "to know the reasons which determined your three decisions." "Nothing, my lord, can be more simple. Your highness saw that I detained for a night the three things in dispute?" "I did." "Well, early in the morning I caused the woman to be called, and I said to her suddenly--'Put fresh ink in my inkstand.' Like a person who had done the same thing a hundred times before, she took the bottle, removed the cotton, washed them both, put in the cotton again, and poured in fresh ink, doing it all with the utmost neatness and dexterity. So I said to myself, 'A peasant's wife would known nothing about inkstands--she must belong to the _taleb_." "Good," said Bou-Akas, nodding his head. "And the money?" "Did your highness remark that the merchant had his clothes and hands covered with oil?" "Certainly, I did." "Well; I took the money, and placed it in a vessel filled with water. This morning I looked at it, and not a particle of oil was to be seen on the surface of the water. So I said to myself, 'If this money belonged to the oil-merchant it would be greasy from the touch of his hands; as it is not so, the butcher's story must be true.'" Bou-Akas nodded in token of approval. "Good," said he. "And my horse?" "Ah! that was a different business; and, until this morning, I was greatly puzzled." "The cripple, I suppose, did not recognize the animal?" "On the contrary, he pointed him out immediately." "How then did you discover that he was not the owner?"